Secret Name

I won't go into great details about each song, but this record has the highest concentration of classic Low songs of all their releases. I have yet to meet a fan that doesn't put at least three songs from Secret Name in their top-five favorite Low song list. The progression of Two-Step, Weight of Water, Missouri (sung misery), and Don't Understand is almost too much to take. Beautiful vocal harmonies and some of the most simple, but moving melodies that I've heard in a long time make up these songs.

Low always gets described as a sad sounding band, and this record is the best reason for this. However, I would disagree with this label. Low aren't for sad depressed people, they're for people with longer than average attention spans who like to sit and reflect. People that want tangible substance in their music. If you're one of these people, Low won't make you feel sad. They'll make you feel better.

SECRET NAME contains its share of beauties, the opener "I Remember" is pretty creepy while "Starfire" sounds almost like something a teenager might record in his or her bedroom on their boombox. It has a lilting quality to it despite the sorrowful strings in the background. "Two-Step" is a beautiful showcase for Mimi Parker's restrained optimism while "Weight Of Water" is equally depressing. "Don't Understand" is a throwaway, an instrumental with loops a la the Beatles "Tomorrow Never Knows". It has no lyrics and serves no purpose. It sounds like it would fit better on a SQUAREPUSHER or recent RADIOHEAD album. "Soon", "Immune", and "Lion/Lamb" are just *gorgeous*. The simple chordal structures work perfectly. "Home" is lovely, with its string backing. Overall SECRET NAME is a powerful album, done by slo-core's banner-wavers.

Recommended.